Since rank and position don't have to be tied together he really should have been promoted at some point. He still would have been junior to the rest of the main cast that had ranks, and even as ensign he usually was treated above other ensigns due to being a primary shift bridge officer. making him a ltjg would have strengthened his position in the later situation wrt to interactions with other ensigns
Harry Kim's promotion... or lack of it.
- Thread starter Kobayshi Maru
- Start date
There wasn't room to elevate Harry to higher posts but he occupied a post that in other series was manned by lieutenants and lieutenant commanders. They gave Paris a demotion and re-promotion without changing his post or apparently any of his responsibilities.
And when Tom was demoted it was a perfect opportunity to give Harry the promotion and have an episode where they are stranded somewhere together or something and Paris has to take orders from him, evolving their relationship from a hero/sidekick relationship to one of equals.
I really think the only reason Kim wasn't promoted was because the writers didn't feel Wang deserved it, not because they didn't feel Kim deserved it.
@McLeod
I swear I didn't see your post before I made mine.
And when Tom was demoted it was a perfect opportunity to give Harry the promotion and have an episode where they are stranded somewhere together or something and Paris has to take orders from him, evolving their relationship from a hero/sidekick relationship to one of equals.
I really think the only reason Kim wasn't promoted was because the writers didn't feel Wang deserved it, not because they didn't feel Kim deserved it.
@McLeod
I swear I didn't see your post before I made mine.
Smaller ship, with easier micromanaged missions.
Cavvit/Chakotay, the XO, was only a Lieutenant Commander.
Tuvok after 70 years in Star Fleet (on and off) was only a Lieutenant.
The Chief Engineer (B'Elanna.) was a Lieutenant Junior Grade.
Small ship = Lower ranks in more important positions. If they do well, they get a promotion to a higher rank on a bigger ship to a shittier position.
Any Starfleet graduate can work in any post on any ship without any issues, up to and including Captain.
Rank is about how many persons they are expected to order about without stressing out.
Cavvit/Chakotay, the XO, was only a Lieutenant Commander.
Tuvok after 70 years in Star Fleet (on and off) was only a Lieutenant.
The Chief Engineer (B'Elanna.) was a Lieutenant Junior Grade.
Small ship = Lower ranks in more important positions. If they do well, they get a promotion to a higher rank on a bigger ship to a shittier position.
Any Starfleet graduate can work in any post on any ship without any issues, up to and including Captain.
Rank is about how many persons they are expected to order about without stressing out.
I am not sure. Look at what happened to the (field promoted) captain of the Valliant. He got them all killed, all but Jake, Nog and that girl who was nostalgic of home and hearth, that is. He didn't realize that his ship was a mosquito attacking an elephant! I bet there wasn't one smart pill among the dozens he was popping.
Voyager was basically a comedy of errors. So much potential, and so many bad decisions. It's probably best forgotten. 
I said any Starfleet Graduate.
They were cadets.
It's likely, even though they were Red Squad, the best of the best, that some of these fanatics would not pass their Pych test, and other less well advertised mental evaluations before they thought that should have been allowed a pip.
Also, what was happening there with the Valiant was the Kobayashi Maru test in living life.
Except that it wasn't over whelming firepower they couldn't beat, it was fixing their own damn ship. Limping along at Warp 2. They couldn't accept a no win situation, so they were not going to win. They chased a Dominion Warship 10 times it's tonnage for a year with 1 year old intelligence on how to beat it. I guess they've seen Star Wars too many times? But if that weakness was a weakness, then a another Starhip would have employed that flaw in the last 12 months.
Nog was still dazzled by Red Squad Superiority, which is I suppose a magic bullet for him, but even if Harry Kim had walked onto that ship, he would have demoted every one back to cadet and returned the Ship to Federation space to spend a month in a spacedock and get the Valiant restaffed with adequately trained crew.
I say that with hope, but we've all seen Nightingale. There's a %60 Harry would have taken command and then tried to finish the mission himself with that lord of the flies crew and everything would have ended in tears still.
Correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't Rollins also promoted. He was an ensign in caretaker but then a lieutenant later on in the series (Dreadnought). I'm not sure if he's referred to as ensign at any point (I know Janeway refers to him as Mr Rollins in Caretaker) but if he did get promoted then Harry must be thinking.....WTF!
I always thought Janeway kept Harry as ensign cos she saw him as a child throughout the seven years and quickly developed a parent relationship towards him (which was unprofessional) In truth, she never really thought he'd grown up as much as he could (which was true but i say that was mostly her doing)
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Not even if she was freezing to death marooned on an ice planet.
I'd see Janeway cutting his still living stomach open, and squeezing in through that gash like he was a sleeping bag or a kangaroo to steel herself against the cold, before I could accept that they would knock boots.
I'd see Janeway cutting his still living stomach open, and squeezing in through that gash like he was a sleeping bag or a kangaroo to steel herself against the cold, before I could accept that they would knock boots.
"Have you ever been in love, Captain?"
That was actually a pick up line.
That was actually a pick up line.
The real reason Harry Kim never got promoted was that Janeway wanted to keep him safe off the front lines... like how Picard said he could never put his gf in danger again in Lessons. And don't forget all those scenes where he stumbles out of the ready room and then Janeway comes out a couple minutes later with her bun disheveled.
This thread came into my house and made me watch Janeway/Kim videos on youtube.
I can now happily report after this research that sexual or otherwise chemistry between Janeway and Kim = 0.
I can now happily report after this research that sexual or otherwise chemistry between Janeway and Kim = 0.
Only according to the doctor in Seven's body...
This was just another example of the ridiculousness that was VOY, right up there with the everlasting shuttles and the beat-to-hell ship that gets miraculously repaired by the start of the next episode.
Voyager only has a limited number of crew. There's no way to replenish the ship with more officers. During the course of it's travels, the ship constantly gets attacked. Crew members should be dying faster than you can say "redshirt." So that would mean that surviving crew should be getting promoted left and right.
Kim was a fucking bridge officer, for crying out loud. He should have been a lieutenant commander by the show's end.
Voyager only has a limited number of crew. There's no way to replenish the ship with more officers. During the course of it's travels, the ship constantly gets attacked. Crew members should be dying faster than you can say "redshirt." So that would mean that surviving crew should be getting promoted left and right.
Kim was a fucking bridge officer, for crying out loud. He should have been a lieutenant commander by the show's end.
We saw almost 30 deaths or exits (Neelix, Seska, Kes.) on screen (there was an itemized deathlist at one point circulating.) that were not reversed... Okay, I think that number includes Naomi and Harry from Deadlock.
Ironically, if the rest the cast had been left alone, we wouldn't even be having this discussion. Because we'd simply assume that Janeway doesn't have authority to issue promotions without some kind of Starfleet brass rubber stamping it.
The problem comes from the fact that they did actually show people getting demoted/promoted on screen, and nobody ever called Janeway out on that bullshit.
So the only conclusion we're left to draw is that either Harry was Janeway's gimp, or that Harry ceased to be Harry in Captain Katie's eyes after the events of "Deadlock".
'What's that I heard? I could have sworn that sack of skin and bones sitting in Harry's seat said something, but that can't be right, because Harry's dead.'
The problem comes from the fact that they did actually show people getting demoted/promoted on screen, and nobody ever called Janeway out on that bullshit.
So the only conclusion we're left to draw is that either Harry was Janeway's gimp, or that Harry ceased to be Harry in Captain Katie's eyes after the events of "Deadlock".
'What's that I heard? I could have sworn that sack of skin and bones sitting in Harry's seat said something, but that can't be right, because Harry's dead.'
That's the thing though, people die throughout the series yet there is almost always the same number of people on board the ship.
